What I've learned:

      I have learned countless things from taking this class. Almost everything I know about writing as a journalist I have learned from this class. In taking this class I have definitely reassured myself that I want to become a journalist. Before this class I never would have stepped out of my comfort zone and gone out to do interviews with people I don't know. I really enjoyed taking this class and am very excited to get to take more journalism classes in the future. My perspective on journalism hasn't changed too much. I still see it as a necessary tool for the public and very much want to become a journalist.

I have much more information and ideas but cannot write any more until I am able to conduct my follow-up interview with an important source.

Enterprise Story

Trevor Walstrom

4-27-11

           

            Thousands of people pass through the doors of Anoka-Ramsey Community College every day. For many of those people, finding a parking spot close to the entrance or even on-campus is no easy test.

            Many students and faculty members spend several minutes every day driving around searching for a parking spot. “I hate the parking lot!” said Marissa Krook, a Coon Rapids resident and ARCC student. “It is impossible to find a parking spot. I drive around for at least five to 10 minutes just to find one,” she added.

            Other students employ strategy to help them find a parking spot. Alyssa Berthiaume, an ARCC student and resident of Coon Rapids said she has devised a way to quickly get a parking spot. “I find it very difficult to find a parking spot so I wait until about 10 minutes before my class starts to show up. That way people should be getting out of their classes and I can quickly nab a spot,” she said.

            Students, visitors, and staff and faculty members, all experience problems searching for parking spots because ARCC has approximately 9,100 students enrolled, but only 2,155 parking spots on-campus. There are certainly people who take advantage of ARCC’s public transportation program and many people who take classes online, but there are still far more people attending the school than parking spots provided.

Press Release

Contact:

Trevor Walstrom

11182 Hanson Blvd. NW

Coon Rapids, MN, 55433

763-269-1045

THE MINNEAPOLIS MONSTERS

            Minneapolis’ own, local-band Atmosphere released their new album “The Family Sign” Tuesday. The album is the band’s much-anticipated seventh studio release. It’s been almost three years since their last full-length studio release because the band has spent much of their time giving back to the city from which they came.

            The band has done more than donate money to charitable causes. They have actually joined many of the organizations giving back to the community. All four of the band members were born, and raised in Minneapolis so they understand the importance of giving back.

            The community where they got their start remains very important to them. They have partnered with many outreach programs that help underprivileged, inner-city youths. While the band is very exciting to be giving back to the community, they hope it won’t be so long in between albums next time.

Story 7

Story from interview with Alyssa Berthiaume, ARCC Student and mother

Trevor Walstrom

4-13-11

            Many people ask themselves the question, is college worth all of the trouble that accompanies it? For one local mother there was never any question. “I knew I had to go to college. I knew it was the only way to be successful and provide for my daughter and myself,” said Alyssa Berthiaume. She is a 21-year-old ARCC student and the mother of a three-year-old daughter named Ava.

            “I was always a good student in high-school and I always planned to go to college afterward, but once I got pregnant at 18, things changed,” she said. “I knew I still had to go to school, but taking care of my daughter became my first priority.” Now in her sophomore year she reflects on the obstacles she has overcome to get on her chosen path.

            “It isn’t easy being a single mother, especially when you’re young. I had to work two jobs just to be able to support us,” said Berthiaume. “But, my support system is very strong and helps me out a lot,” she said. “My mother and younger-sister babysit for me quite frequently which allows me to be able to work and go to school, both full-time,” she added.

            As soon as high-school ended Berthiaume enrolled in a program to become a trained medical assistant, or tma. A tma is someone who works at a nursing-home or group-home and is trained and certified on passing out medication to patients. This was her first experience with school and it got her the job that still supports her and her daughter today. “It is a challenge, working and attending school full-time while supporting a three-year-old, but I know it will be worth it in the end,” she said. This is the attitude to which she attributes her success as a single mother.

            Berthiaume is currently a resident of Coon Rapids and a student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College. “I plan to finish my generals at ARCC and hopefully transfer to the University of Minnesota to complete my bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene,” said Berthiaume. Berthiaume chose ARCC because it is “affordable and close to home,” she said. “I think ARCC is a great place to start off. It is very affordable, convenient, and flexible which is great for a young mother such as me.”

              While she has certainly achieved success as a young, single mother, she recalls how difficult it was to get there. “After my daughter was born things became very difficult for me. I was frequently in-and-out of court arguing with my daughter’s father over things like a paternity test to prove she was his and child-support payments,” said Berthiaume. “Eventually the test results showed what I already knew and that he would have to pay child-support whether he wanted to or not.” But, the struggles for this young mother didn’t end there. “After my court problems had been settled I was able to focus on work and taking care of Ava. But, it was very difficult trying to balance work, studying, and parenthood. I was very tired constantly and I found it tough to stay on-top of my school work,” said Berthiaume. “I was definitely happy that I waited a little while after high-school to start college. It took me some time to learn to manage all of the new things in my life and I don’t think I would have done so well if I had taken on that extra workload right away. I quickly finished my tma program and settled in at my job which really helped me grow up quickly. Now that I’ve spent some time being a mom and working I feel I am much more prepared to handle school,” she added.

              Berthiaume would like people to learn from her story and hopes that it can help other young mothers who are going through a similar situation. “I would like people to know that anything is possible and there is always more out there. Everyone has obstacles in life, but it’s how we overcome those obstacles that make us who we are."

Story 6

Interview with Jim Biederman, ARCC Psychology Professor

Trevor Walstrom

4-7-11

            In order to teach you must have a passion for your work and the patience to help others learn what you already know. For Jim Biederman, that’s no problem at all. “I have a very methodical mind and I learn new things by figuring out how to explain them.  Teaching was a natural next step for me,” said Biederman.

           

            Biederman is a professor at Anoka-Ramsey Community College where he has been teaching Psychology since 1993. “I didn’t go to college expecting to major in psychology, but it turned out that psychology was my greatest interest,” Biederman said. “I think I enjoyed psychology so much because I was already interested in the complexity of human behavior, trying to figure out why people do what they do,” he added.

            When asked about how he came to work for ARCC Biederman replied “I applied to a few teaching positions when I started looking for full-time work and was lucky enough to be chosen by ARCC.  I had never set foot in Minnesota. It turns out that I was incredibly fortunate because over 100 people applied for my position.”

            Biederman loves teaching and is very passionate about his work. “I like the act of teaching, explaining things I really like and know well to students. I have a tremendous amount of control over how I run my classes, which makes my work less stressful and more rewarding than a lot of people I know,” he explained. But, while he is happy with what he is doing, things are far from perfect.

            The publicly notarized passing of the budget repair bill in Wisconsin is not the only such case of state budget cuts in the upper Midwest. The bill, which aims to “balance the budget and reform government,” according to Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, has essentially stripped many state employees of their collective bargaining rights. Lawmakers have begun to try and pass similar bills in Minnesota. “The conflict in Wisconsin got the most attention, but the Minnesota legislature has been proposing some of the same things here,” said Biederman. “When I started teaching, the State of Minnesota paid about 67-percent of the cost for a student to attend college. That percentage has slipped to about 33-percent now, which means tuition has skyrocketed and students are forced to take on more debt.  I really think the current legislature would be happy to cut that state support to zero percent and make college education a privilege for the wealthy,” he added.

            As a teacher Biederman can understand the importance of education in today’s world. “I’m afraid the easy economic times are over and it’s going to take a lot of work for a young person to be successful financially in the future,” he said. He sees first-hand how students act and behave while in school so when a student’s performance drops he notices. He has noticed many students who pay for classes and do not take them seriously. “I have never understood why a student would fork over tuition money and then skip classes, skip assignments, skip exams, and fail,” said Biederman. With the stressed importance of higher-education in America today he believes this to be a major cause for concern.

            Biederman has two psychology degrees, a Bachelor of Science degree from Southern Illinois University and a Master of Arts degree from Northern Illinois University. He plans to teach psychology until he is able to retire.

Story 5

Trevor Walstrom

Speech on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome by Sierra Asamoa-tutu

ARCC, Coon Rapids Campus, 3-21-11

           

Sierra Asamoa-tutu uses her abilities to teach others, and help prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, a problem that affects many, but few care to talk about. This is exactly the goal she accomplished at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, the afternoon of Monday, March 21^st, 2011.

“Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is completely preventable, but it starts with individual people making the right choice.” That is the motto of a young woman whose ambition is to help people, and prevent FAS at the source of the problem.

Asamoa-tutu works for the Minnesota Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (MOFAS). MOFAS is a non-profit, state-funded agency that exists to “Raise awareness on FAS” according to Asamoa-tutu. MOFAS is the only state-funded agency of its kind. There is no federal agency like MOFAS.

Along with raising support on FAS, MOFAS also provides support to families affected by FAS. This includes knowledge and support for these families, such as providing information on treatment centers, and courses of action. The staff of MOFAS, which includes 13 paid staff members, five Family Resource Coordinators, and over 80 volunteers, aims to eliminate alcohol-related disabilities, and improve the quality of life for people living with a Fetal Alcohol Syndrome disorder.

Asamoa-tutu performs her duties by traveling across the state to high-schools, colleges, and universities, and giving speeches packed with information that is meant to help others understand exactly how common FAS disorders are. Among Asamoa-tutu’s speeches are facts and statistics that open her audience’s eyes and almost shock her listeners into paying attention. According to Asamoa-tutu, “90 percent of the time when a fetus is exposed to alcohol, the brain is affected.” This is a statistic which Asamoa-tutu uses multiple times throughout her speech to stress the importance of proper alcohol use. “Many times women will continue to use alcohol because they don’t know they are pregnant until the damage has already been done” explained Asamoa-tutu. “Its reasons like that that I do what I do” added Asamoa-tutu.

As Asamoa-tutu continued her speech, clicking through her PowerPoint, it was clear to see that her words did not fall upon deaf ears. “Drinking alcohol during pregnancy affects everyone” said Asamoa-tutu as members of the audience perked up at the thought of a problem actually affecting them. During her speech, Asamoa-tutu uses the entire room attempting to keep the attention of her audience, and it works. She provides a pamphlet with information regarding FAS, a sheet with many common myths about FAS, and a comprehensive PowerPoint that helps her get the message of MOFAS into the mind of her audience.

MOFAS was founded in 1998 by current organization president Susan Carlson. It is mainly run by a board-of-directors containing 22 members. Sierra Asamoa-tutu has been a part of the MOFAS cause for three years. Asamoa-tutu is a graduate of the University of Michigan. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Global and Intercultural Studies. “I really love what I do. It is very rewarding to help people on a daily basis, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”

Story 4

Ashley Zimmel, the Irish softball star

Trevor Walstrom

           

            Ashley Zimmel may have been born in Ireland, but don’t assume that soccer is her favorite sport.

            “My foster dad told me all of these great stories of sport legends from all over the globe, and he told me that I was made to be an athlete, and in Ireland, softball and soccer are the only sports you can play at a young age, I hate soccer, so I went with softball.” That is how Ashley Zimmel would start her journey in the sport which she loves.

            While she has played many other sports in her promising, young career, including tennis, football, basketball, volleyball, and lacrosse, her true passion remains to be softball. Ashley has been playing softball for much of her life including two years for the Dublin Sparks, a total of eight years between the Coon Rapids youth, and high-school programs, and two years for the Anoka-Ramsey Community College team.

            Ashley is mostly an infielder, but hitting is her bread and butter. “I currently hold the record for most home-runs hit for Coon Rapids High-School, at 21.” Ashley’s greatest moment on the field was belting a walk-off home-run to win the 18-and-under U.S.A. Championship for her team.

            Ashley is currently a resident of Coon Rapids, and a student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College, but she plans to transfer to the University of Minnesota-Morris in Bemidji to complete her degree in Sports Management. There she plans to continue her studies as well as her softball career. Softball is certainly an instrumental aspect of Ashley’s life, “It really makes me understand that grades count. Don’t compete in the class, won’t compete on the field.” That is the motto of a young woman whose passion for the game of softball will certainly translate into many positive things in her future.

Interview Transcript (Blog #6)

Interview Transcript

Trevor Walstrom

2-28-11

Interviewee: Ashley Zimmel

1) When did you start playing softball? I started softball in 4^th grade in Ireland then once I moved here I continued to play but didn’t start fastpitch softball til 7^th grade.

2) How did you get into the sport?  First my foster dad told me all these great stories of aport lengends from all over the globe and he told me that I was made to be an athlete and in Ireland softball and soccer are the first two sports you can play so young and I hate soccer of I went with softball.

3) Where do you play and for whom do you play? I played for Dublin Sparks 2 years, Coon rapids/ Coon Rapids High 8 years, Anoka Ramsey CC 2 years

4) What position do you play? I play mostly infield

5) What is your greatest moment on the field? Hitting a home run to win the 18 under USA championship

6) What is your worst moment on the field? Getting hit in the head cause I ran up on a bunt that turned into a slap bunt and nailed me

7) Who is your favorite athlete? Kevin Love Minnesota Timberwolves

8) What is your plan for your future in the game of softball? I want to continue playing next 2 years for the University of Minnesota Morris and after that im hoping to become a coach and one day maybe of fan of my own daughter

9) Have you ever sustained an injury while playing softball? MANY! My famous one is getting 31 stitches on my stomach from blockin home plate and getting a metal calet to my tummy.

10) Have you ever injured another player while playing softball? Yes a few, favorite one has to be hitting my cousin in the state tourney my senior of high school

11) Have you ever hit a home-run? Yes I currently hold most home runs hit for Coon Rapids High at 21

12) Do you bat and throw right or left-handed?  I throw left handed but bat right

13) Has playing this sport had an impact on how you conduct yourself off the field? It actually does makes me really understand that grades count, don’t compete in class wont compete on the field

14) If you have kids, will they play softball? You bet they will

15) Can you recall a time when you were ever a “bad sport”? countless times, I get into games its just who I am

16) Do you now, or have you ever, played any other sports besides softball? Yes, in high school I played tennis, football, basketball, lacrosse, softball…now I play volleyball, softball(for ARCC) rugby

Story #3 (Blog #5)

For many, bicycle riding is a safe and fun hobby, but a leisurely ride quickly became anything but safe, or fun, for one local woman.

            Marsha L. Taylor, a 37-year-old McDonald’s employee, was riding her bike down 72^nd Street, approaching Southland Boulevard, when a vehicle traveling in the same direction struck her from behind, and sent her flying to the pavement. “I was riding down 72^nd Street when a car hit me from behind and sent me flying off my bike. That’s all I remember until I woke up in the hospital”.

            Marsha sustained many serious injuries from her accident including a mild concussion, a broken neck, six broken ribs, a broken arm, and a broken pelvis. According to Marsha, doctors described her most-serious injury, the break in her neck, as being a “hangman’s fracture”. “They said I should have been paralyzed”.

            While at a rehabilitation facility, Marsha’s doctors discovered she had sustained some internal injuries during her accident. Marsha suffered from a perforated intestine, as well as blunt-force-trauma injuries to her liver and gall bladder. This caused her skin color to turn bright orange. “When my mother saw me she said I looked like a Halloween pumpkin”. Marsha’s recovery is going well although, it took her four months to recover, rather than the two months doctors had initially estimated because of her internal injuries.

            Marsha is an expert bicyclist even participating in the annual Governor’s Bicycle Tour, which goes across the entire state, and an event which goes across the entire United States. When asked if she plans to change her attitude about bicycling, Marsha replied “No. I still want to ride. If I could I’d be out there right now…”

            According to Marsha, her helmet is the reason why she was able to survive the accident.  “I never ride unless I have my helmet. It probably saved my life this time”. Marsha went on to say that bicycling is a pretty safe sport as long as the necessary precautions are taken. This includes wearing protective clothing, and above all else, a safety helmet. Marsha Brooks is on the path to a full recovery however, it is unknown whether or not the driver of the vehicle that struck her will face criminal charges.

Blog #4, Obituary

Trevor Lee Walstrom, of 12345 Hanson Blvd., Coon Rapids, MN, died today at the age of 22. Trevor was a warm, charming, loving family-man who was also an avid sports enthusiast. He died this morning in a single car accident heading south on 35W near Washington Avenue. He hit black-ice and lost control of his vehicle, slamming into a concrete barrier. He was killed instantly. Trevor was enrolled at the University of Minnesota where he was studying to become a journalist. He spent much of his life as a resident of Minnesota, although he also spent some of his life living with his mother in Illinois. He was currently employed as a bartender at Olive Garden, but he aspired to become a sports-journalist. Trevor was a gifted athlete, even becoming the captain of many sports teams. Trevor is survived by his girlfriend Alyssa, step-daughter Ava, and many loving friends and family members. Trevor chose to be cremated and to have his ashes spread along the north shore of Lake Superior.

Story 2

A heated argument broke out between the county sheriff and several county commissioners Thursday due to a dispute over equipment and personnel. County Sheriff Gus DiCesari accused the commissioners of “shortchanging” his department to save money.

            The Sheriff’s Department has asked the commission for money to buy new cruisers and hire new deputies, but Commission President Anne Chenn maintains that the county does not have enough money to make the upgrades.

            Commissioners Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne stand behind sheriff Dicesari on the matter. Commissioner Shenuski believes the problem stems from the migrant workers allowed to work in the community. “We never had problems until we began letting migrants come to this county to work” said Shenuski in a heated argument with president Chenn. Shenuski believes the county should spend more money on the Sheriff’s Department rather than the county’s migrant workers.

            President Chenn disagrees, stating “Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people… They add a great deal to the local economy and they pay taxes. You are being a hypocrite when you try to blame those people for everything.” According to Chenn, the county is low on money because of the increased cost of both employee health care and fuel. Chenn also stated that the county had to spend $30 million to build a new prison to alleviate crowding in their existing prison.

             According to Sheriff DiCesari, the department needs money to purchase eight new police cruisers to replace eight older cruisers, each of which has more than 150,000 miles. DiCesari has said “My deputies can’t keep driving these old vehicles. Something bad is going to happen.” President Chenn suggested that the deputies not drive their vehicles home at night in order to cut down on the miles. However, Sheriff DiCesari says this practice serves as a crime deterrent.

DiCesari’s warnings fell upon deaf ears as the commissioners voted 5-2 against his request for additional funds. President Chenn said that the department would just have to make due this year because the county does not have the funds necessary to supply new vehicles and hire additional deputies.

           

           

story 1

       Two semi-trucks collided on Interstate 790 this morning causing an 18 car accident which left two people dead and 20 more hospitalized due to injury.

       According to investigators, the accident, which occurred at 6:45 am, started when two semi-trucks collided in the northbound lane of Interstate 790 causing a chain reaction accident that engulfed a total of four semi-trucks and 14 passenger vehicles.

       The accident required the deployment of multiple fire trucks, at least nine ambulances, and one "Life Flight" rescue helicopter which was used to airlift two people with severe injuries to the trauma center in Statesville, over 50 miles away.

       Even though the accident occurred in the northbound lane, the entire highway had to be closed. Interstate 790 remains closed for the time being and according to Sgt. Albert Wei of the Coon Rapids Police Department, will remain closed for an undetermined amount of time.
      

Blog #1 Introduction

      
      Hello, my name is Trevor Walstrom. I am 22 years old and I reside in Coon Rapids. I am a student, bartender, step-father (kinda), and aspiring sports journalist. But above all else, I am an avid sports enthusiast. I love all things sports. Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Hockey are my favorites. However, I also love golf, disc-golf, softball, and pretty much anything to do with sports. In taking this class I hope to learn to apply myself as a journalist and hone my craft as a writer.